Crabtree Farm
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- May 21, 2008
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I've been watching this thread and from what I have learned about Shetlands.
As a note, there are many breeders in the 60's that began breeding to get the more streamline look without having to add Hackney blood. These were the breeders who had a vision to change the Shetland of that time period or rather the Thewellean type to the more Americanized type of shetland. Yet to this day if you look at the European Shetland, that is the coal pony type that more are familiar with or believe the Shetland to be. And yes they show that type of Shetland in the UK.
Yet even in the 60's the Shetland breeders knew there were breeders out there who were throwing in some Hackney breeding to try to produce a streamline animal. But the dedicated breeders worked to keep breed the best to the best and achieved the more streamline animal that we see today. Those animals of poor breeding did not fare well and fell to the wayside, but the true dedicated breeders keep up with perfecting their breed.
But we also saw not only refinement, but we also saw that the Shetland of thoses days were not the large Shetlands that we now have. They were still quite small in those days. As many were imported, these were tiny creatures made rugged by nature. Nothing refined at all. It took breeders time to get the best of these animals out by the selective breeding. And it took generations and generations to change.
I've been lucky to come across almost 40 years of "Pony Journals" and also spending time talking to breeders who have been around longer than that and the history is quite educating. Looking back at old MHW and Journal magazines, I see the changes that have come across in the past 10 years. Shouldn't people be happy with what they have accomplished and create their own vision.
As a note, there are many breeders in the 60's that began breeding to get the more streamline look without having to add Hackney blood. These were the breeders who had a vision to change the Shetland of that time period or rather the Thewellean type to the more Americanized type of shetland. Yet to this day if you look at the European Shetland, that is the coal pony type that more are familiar with or believe the Shetland to be. And yes they show that type of Shetland in the UK.
Yet even in the 60's the Shetland breeders knew there were breeders out there who were throwing in some Hackney breeding to try to produce a streamline animal. But the dedicated breeders worked to keep breed the best to the best and achieved the more streamline animal that we see today. Those animals of poor breeding did not fare well and fell to the wayside, but the true dedicated breeders keep up with perfecting their breed.
But we also saw not only refinement, but we also saw that the Shetland of thoses days were not the large Shetlands that we now have. They were still quite small in those days. As many were imported, these were tiny creatures made rugged by nature. Nothing refined at all. It took breeders time to get the best of these animals out by the selective breeding. And it took generations and generations to change.
I've been lucky to come across almost 40 years of "Pony Journals" and also spending time talking to breeders who have been around longer than that and the history is quite educating. Looking back at old MHW and Journal magazines, I see the changes that have come across in the past 10 years. Shouldn't people be happy with what they have accomplished and create their own vision.
